AuthorTopic: Learning the Zendrum LT: time frame? (Read 2992 times)

partech

Given all the prerequisites, excellent sense of rythm, experience with Simmons drums and other gadgetry, (no false modesty here what sort of time frame are we talking about for "mastering" the Zendrum LT?

I play a ZX, but I have to honestly tell you the learning curve would be about the same. It took me 2 weeks to get my patterns down, but even then it was a work in progress. I have been playing for just over 2 years now and I am still learning and changing things. I started with a Roland TD-6V drum module, then graduated up to using a MacBook Pro with Superior Drummer 2.0, then went to using Ableton Live with Superior Drummer 2.0. It is an ever evolving process. But I am still using the basic setup that I started with 2 years ago. I have since upgraded to a Z4 chipset and added some pads, not sure you can add more triggers to the LT. I spent about 5 to 8 hours a night for about 2 weeks and was getting good enough to play in front of people.

I will say that it did help to have my skills on an acoustic kit up to speed. I guess I forget that part sometimes. That is what helped me realize that I was ready to play out on my Zendrum, I couldn't tell the difference between playing my kit and playing my ZX. That could go both ways though now that I think about it, either I was a great acoustic drummer and my ZX playing has matched it, or I am a terrible acoustic player and my ZX playing has matched it........hmmmmmm. I think I will go with the first.

LOL Geo, exactly! Of course not! Mastery would be a pretty strong word for ANY skill, especially so for such a varied and complex thing as drumming or Z-drumming.

I would answer the initial question this way: If you do indeed have a great sense of rhythm and some experience with e-drumming, you will be able to play passably literally overnight. Heck, I did my first Zendrum-only gig the very DAY I got my first ZX (but I'm sure glad there's no video of THAT one! ) But that being said, 13 years later, I'm STILL not satisfied with my playing and still looking to improve. And I guess that's just the way I am- drumset playing included.

One cool thing about the Zendrum is, there are SO many variables over which you have complete control. This means that with a logical approach and some technical know-how, the learning curve can be greatly lessened compared to instruments without these unique variabilities. For example, you can't really change which notes lay where on the piano... but on Zendrum? You bet.

Jer

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partech

Thanks everyone for the replies! I guess "mastery" would be a bit of a strong word I guess my acoustic skills are still decent (a better word), but it's been a while. That aside, thanks again for sharing your thoughts and tips. I'm really looking forward to putting my palms on one now. There's a long road ahead, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

I agree zendrumdude. The possibilities and combinations on the zendrum are virtually infinite. So much so, that I set mine aside for a year after struggling for 6 months. I couldn't get my hear around it. I finally picked it up again after a year, and fought my way to understanding. Now, even though I know there are virtually unlimited numbers of setups and instrumentation, I am finally getting comfortable with 2 or 3 setups. I 'm still trying to figure out which way I want to play, and I think that may be ongoing for quite some time yet! Mastered it? No way! Getting comfortable with it, yes. Maybe I'm a dum-dum, but I still haven't gotten to the point where I am satisfied with my setup(s) or playing style!Peace, out.Rand

I think one of the keys to success is setting up "correctly". After a couple of months messing around with various trigger allocations, I stumbled on an arrangement that is much more logical and easier to play and the results are significant.However, I guess at some point, you have to stop messing around and just master what you've got.sAnd I, for one, am blown away when I see what some people can get out of their Zens. My one disappointment is that there are so many great players here who don't share their performances. So come on, let's see more vids posted!

I have been working on learning to play my Zendrum with only a minimal amount of drum experience (I doubt a year and a half of Rock Band counts for very much).

If you're in a similar boat as me, one thing I came across that has been helping me out a lot is the Roland DT-HD1 drum training software. It costs $80 at Sweetwater and comes packaged with a USB to MIDI connector (which by itself would probably be $40-50).

The training software comes with a lot of patterns to learn and music to go along with it. Tempo is changeable and you can apparently load your own MIDI files into it (though I haven't tried this feature yet). You have the option of playing along with drum notation or playing "Guitar Hero"-style, with visual representation of the notes dropping towards the bottom of the screen. When using the latter, the trainer will rank each hit on a 4-step scale-- "Perfect" indicates a perfect on-the-beat hit, "Good" indicates a hit that is within 1/64 note of the beat, and "OK" indicates a hit within 1/48 note. If your hits are more off than that, you'll get a "Miss".

The software also displays a visual picture of the drum kit and flashes parts of it with the patterns to show you what drums you should be hitting. It responds to standard MIDI notes so you can use it with any electronic drum kit, not just the one it's intended for, and you can change the software's latency to offset any lag that's caused by your audio interface or wireless MIDI systems.

So far it's been helping me a lot; having some form of structure is really useful when trying to learn anything new, and the fact that it'll keep score of your rhythm helps perfect your ability to control your muscles and keep time.